


how long have you been smiling? (seems like it's been too long)

by Add1ct3d



Category: Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Crying, Dialogue Heavy, Dream has come for the child what will we do, Emotional Manipulation, Gen, Heavy Angst, NO COMFORT ONLY PAIN, Ranboo-centric (Video Blogging RPF), STILL DONT KNOW HOW TO TAG WHOOOO, crying Ranboo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-16 21:35:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28588881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Add1ct3d/pseuds/Add1ct3d
Summary: “W-what the hell are you doing!? Let me out!”The door swung open, but not to let Ranboo out. Dream slapped Ranboo across the face, stinging him but mostly leaving him falling to the floor in shockDream crouches down and Ranboo flinches, expecting another hit but instead Dream whispers soothing and reassuring words into his ear“Hey, hey, i'm not gonna hit you again alright?” the man said, his voice full of sickly sweet venom “you just can’t yell at me like that again ok? It’s a rude way to treat a host.” Fear clawed its way up Ranboos throat, making him nauseous.-------------------------------------------------------------------------Interesting au that popped into my head lmao. Dream's manipulating all the minors huh? 😭✋
Relationships: Clay | Dream & Ranboo, Ranboo & HBomb, Ranboo & Toby Smith | Tubbo
Comments: 49
Kudos: 390





	1. Dream?

**Author's Note:**

> Ranboo swallowed, his mind catching up to the situation. “Closest person that I have...is probably Technoblade...Techno and Phil” This. This was bad. His heart started to pound in his chest as he ran along the shoreline, looking for the entrance to his panic room. 
> 
> “Hello, Ranboo'' Dream said, making Ranboo jump and flinch back. “Dream..? W-why are you here?”

“It’s good to see everyone here standing side by side! Everyone that was once considered neutral or even an enemy!” Tubbo announced proudly, looking across the sea of people with determination and power. The sight made him nauseous, disappointment settling like a stone in his gut as the cold tendrils of anxiety creeped up his spine. 

Ranboo tuned out the rest of Tubbos speech, slowly backing away from the roaring crowd as they dispersed, silently walking through Lmanberg. They didn’t understand. They were all too caught up in their wars and sides and who betrayed who. It was all so pointless!! This war against Dream over a stupid plot of land. Who cares if L’manberg gets blown up? L’manberg is the people, not the place! That’s what it stood for! As long as the people were together, L’manberg would stay strong. 

That’s what it said in the old documents right? There was no reason to go against Dream, potentially get people hurt all for some stupid plot of land. Hbomb walked up to the teen, a worried look on his face as he saw the thunder cloud of emotions on the boy’s face. 

“Would you..do you need to talk?” the man asked awkwardly, not knowing the teen very well or even how to talk to kids, especially ones in emotional distress. 

Ranboo looked up, startled slightly. “Uh n-no im. no“ the hybrid swallowed before hastily walking away, quickly being drowned by his thoughts. Ranboo hurried past L’manbergs borders, stopping for a second beside El Rapids. 

The dusty mountain looked nearly abandoned, nothing without its people. “No way” Ranboo muttered to himself, completely encapsulated in his internal conflicts. 

“There’s no way that this is gonna work” _“no, i- it could work. It could possibly work” _“But it’s never worked before, so why do they think- why do they have all this hope- it just doesn’t make any sense!”.__

__The hybrid wandered near his home to check on his pets, letting his body run on autopilot as his two sides conflicted with each other. _“it could work..” _“B-but it also..cant..there’s no way! They’re too powerful” _“N-no they’re not gonna die- we’re gonna band together tomorrow and it’s gonna be great..it’ll be alright!” _“No it won't be...god- this entire place is gonna explode..this might be the last time i see it…why do they care so much about their home..why don’t they just care about the people? They care about the builds that took them so long, not about the friendships that took them longer”._____ _

______Ranboo’s breaths started picking up as he picked up speed, realizing his body was taking him to his panic room. He just needed space to breathe and sort out the swirl of dark feelings in his chest, he’d be fine._ _ _ _ _ _

_______“why..why does that matter..” _“i-it does matter!” _“it makes no sense!” _“So what someone started a random country, why- why does that matter more than it’s people do!”. Ranboo paused, looking up miserably _“Now i have no one…”. _He swallowed, his mind catching up to the situation. “Closest person that I have...is probably Technoblade...Techno and Phil” This. This was bad. His heart started to pound in his chest as he ran along the shoreline, looking for the entrance to his panic room. His panic room. If he could just get there, he could..What exactly? What had he been..no. No, he had to get to his panic room.______ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Not..not even Fundy cares.” He heard his voice break. It sounded pathetic. “None..none of them care anymore..cause of the book.” _“How did I lose it.” _“HOW DID HE GET IT...how did he get the book.”.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Ranboo felt the sting of tears in his eyes, the pull of nausea as his throat started to close. “I..i kept it on me at all time, how..” Ranboo burst through the entrance to his panic room, finally allowing the torrent of thoughts clouding his mind spill into the empty air._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“There’s no way that he got it..there's no..”. Tears were rolling down his face, his chest felt as if there were a million bats scratching waiting to burst out. He slid to the floor, his back curled up against the obsidian walls. “There’s no way he could have got the book..i had the book..” Ranboo sniffled, bringing his long gangly limbs to his chest, wishing for any form of comfort or for someone to tell him it would be ok._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Does it have something to do with me waking up here? I don't..” His breath suddenly caught in his throat. “Tubbo- Tubbo has it! Tubbo has the book h-he’s gonna know everything that i've done since i joined -i” a sob ripped through his throat, ugly and unbidden “he’s gonna know..Tubbo- he was the closest person that i had he’s- but he’s gone now, and he’s gonna hate me and i'm gonna be alone-” Ranboo choked on his words, it felt like he couldn’t get enough air. The walls were slowly closing in on him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________He couldn’t breathe! The thought sent him into a panic, he needed to calm down now or else he would end up suffocating. He held his breath, counting down and letting it out slowly. The hybrids’ hiccups bounced off the smooth purple walls. Ranboo put his head in his hands and curled his limbs closer to his body as sobs wracked through his entire being. The way that Tubbo had looked at him..he would never forget it. His gaze was angry and hot with betrayal, he couldn’t ever remember his friend looking that way besides-... _”besides at Tommy..” _____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“I don’t know what’s gonna happen tomorrow, i have no one to talk about this to i-..it’s just me”. He suddenly felt a burst of anger and adrenaline, the unfairness of the situation ripping through him like a tidal wave. He got up and paced the room, offering up his thoughts to an empty room._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“Why is it just me!? How come no one realizes, how come that did nothing..How come they’re so wrapped up in their own little-” Ranboo threw his arms up in exasperation “-world it’s just terrible! Why do they do this? Why do they keep on-” the burst of emotions suddenly drained from him, replaced with a deep sadness and weight that felt like a stone in his stomach._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“No- n-no we can’t do this right now” Ranboo slid back down the wall, closing his eyes as a deep exhaustion settled over him. Tears were still cascading down his face, he couldn’t stop them as much as he wished he could._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________________“Come on, you were able to put on a brave face before, you were able to lie before so- w-why did you show your true emotions now, you know that never works, you know that has no way of working but why, why did you do that, why did you have to say that, you didn’t have to say those things but you did” ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Ranboo sat up, moving to the door before deciding to move back into the room. “How do you choose people if everyones against you..” He paused, looking down at his hands. _“no no one’s against you” _“no everyone” _“no, no one” _“everyone” _“no one-”. _Ranboo gripped his head, his conflicting sides were so loud, everything hurt his chest, his head, his heart, his limbs and he was so, so tired._______ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________“They don’t understand” _“they understand” _“they dont-” _“they do understand?”. _Ranboo was so caught up in the argument that he didn’t notice a certain green ‘puppetmaster’ walk into the room that was supposedly hidden_____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________“Hello, Ranboo'' Dream said, making Ranboo jump and flinch back. “Dream..? W-why are you here?” the teen sniffled, bringing his hands down from his head as the argument settled down temporarily._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________“To talk to you.” the man replied simply._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________He wanted to yell at the man, to tell him to get out and never come back but...he was going insane here steeping in his own thoughts, and he couldn’t stomach the thought of going to face the others. Dream had a sort of unassuming air to him that made you wanna trust him, and while Ranboo absolutely did not trust Dream after what he had seen him do to Tommy, he was dying to ask him something._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________After a moment's hesitation, he decided to humor the masked man. “H-how did you do it? How did you find my book? How did you know?” Ranboo asked in desperation, he winced as he heard his voice break._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________“Well,” Dream replied casually, leaning on the doorframe “i found it in your chest.”._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________The enderman hybrid looked at him in shock. “I never..i never put it in my..but- why now why suddenly now when you could have done this earlier!? Why give them a deley, why give them hope!?”. The man smirked, tilting his head in amusement_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________“It was fun.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________Fun. Fun!? Of course he thought something like that was fun…”That’s what it’s always been to you huh..” Ranboo scoffed. “Just a game” Dream nodded in confirmation, his soul chilling grin growing wider at the thought. It sent a slight shiver up Ranboo’s spine. “yeah , fun..fun for you to watch everyone just suffer for a bit.”._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________“Yeah, a lot of fun” the cruel man chuckled. Ranboo took in a deep shaky breath, desperate for the tiniest sliver of comfort. It wouldn’t hurt to..”Am i- did i do the wrong thing, Dream” Ranboo asked breathlessly, the guilt of running to the very man who hurt them all for fun as a source of comfort weighing on him, making him impossibly more tired._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________“Mhm, yeah you did” Dream said casually, as if talking about something simple like the weather, not people’s lives._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________“I was just trying to choose the people...everyone just keeps choosing sides and it doesnt work- it never worked”. Words tumbled out of Ranboo’s mouth almost against his will, desperate to be heard._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________“Well, by not choosing sides you unintentionally chose a side” Dream explained calmly as if Ranboo was an irrational toddler._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________“W-what do you mean?” He asked shakily. “Well, the side of a traitor” Dream replied, amusement seeping through his voice. The words hit Ranboo like a train. A traitor? He, he didn’t-_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________“I didn’t betray anyone!” Ranboo protested back weakly. “You betrayed everyone” the older man pointed out as if such a fact was obvious, leaning forward slightly from his spot in the doorway to accentuate his point._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________“N-no, i'm just i- i tried to help everyone and that's what i did! I was able to help L’manberg, I was able to help Techno, I was able to help Tommy” the teen cried, nearing tears again. He couldn’t- he didn’t want to be a traitor he only- he wanted to help everyone and be friends with everyone regardless of sides of countries. He didn’t..he didn’t want to be alone.._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________”Mhm, well you also hurt L’manberg, hurt Techno, hurt Tommy hurt..Tubbo”. Ranboo’s eyes widened as he stared at the porcelain smiley face. No, he didn’t...did he hurt them?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________He didn’t mean to._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________“N-no, the good must outweigh the bad..?”. Dream chuckled again but the enderman hybrid could barely hear him over the rushing of blood to his ears that accompanied the growing panic. “I..i don’t know what else i could have done..i got roped into this from the very beginning..i immediately got roped into burning down Georges house, you know i don’t do that well with peer pressure” Ranboo argued back, the exhaustion and hopelessness gradually seeping into his voice._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____________________________‘Perfect’ _Dream thought, barely containing his ear splitting grin. _‘If i can’t get Tommy, Ramboo is setting up to be a perfect alternative..’.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________“But it just keeps happening a-and i don’t know so i have this..web that i've made for myself” the teen ranted at him, clearly having no one else to confide in. Dream hummed to indicate he was still listening although he couldn’t care less about the ramblings of a child. Still, he mused, if it got this kid to listen to him more it was worth it._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________“Did you help Tommy destroy the community house?” the man asked, moving slowly closer to the boy. “No-” Ranboo tried to defend himself, but was partially cut off by Dream. “Well you must’ve, you must’ve right and you just don’t remember”._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________Ranboo looked at him “no, no i..” he trailed off, a glassy confused look coming over his eyes. “You just don’t remember,” Dream told him softly, moving forward to put a hand on his shoulder. Ranboo shivered at the contact, when was the last time he got a proper hug?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________“You probably did” Dream finished. He sounded so sure, maybe..maybe he did blow it up? The man was right, he did have trouble remembering a lot of things. “You’ve done a lot of bad things” Dream reminded him not unkindly. “Like what..?” Ranboo asked shakily “What else did i do?”._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________“You..betrayed you friends, you burned down George's house you blew up the community house” Dream recited to him softly, catching every line of hurt that crossed the teens face and reveling in it._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________“I-.i didn’t mean to do any of that” Ranboo breathed out, looking down at his shaky hands “i- i didn’t, i couldn’t”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________“Would you have remembered if you did” the man asked, so soft you could barely hear it_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________The words broke Ranboo, gut wrenching sobs tore through his throat as guilt ate him up from the inside. Dream calmly reached forward and wrapped his arms around the shaking boy, who buried his head in the older man's chest without second thought._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________The memory book was all he had to rely on to determine what was real and what he had done..if he couldn’t rely on the memory book then what could he rely on? Not himself, surely.._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________“Why..why would I do that?” the teen sobbed into Dream's green hoodie. “I don’t know Ranboo, but it seems to be a pattern..you messing everything up” he said softly, clutching the sobbing boy even tighter._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________Oh yeah, Dream could tell this kid had potential._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________Ranboo had never felt more broken._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


	2. :)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ranboo was expecting a lot of things, Dream was a mysterious man. This though, Ranboo does admit he didn't see this coming

Ranboo’s sobs eventually slowed down, mellowing out into the occasional hiccup. Dream stood up and silently walked away, slipping past the obsidian entrance with a small acknowledging wave behind him. 

The teen was left to pick up the emptied out parts of his soul and piece them back together alone, although he was pathetically grateful for the comfort the man had provided. 

The guilt hit him all at once, nearly crushing him. 

Dream was the cause behind it all, he knew but for some reason he was starting to..like him. He had just sobbed in the man's arms for Prime’s sake! Ranboo stood up on shaky legs, two parts of him conflicting on his feelings about Dream. He pushed them down for the time being, stumbling out of the obsidian room. He hissed, covering his eyes as the sunlight stabbed at them. The enderman hybrid headed towards the direction of his home, having a lot to think about.

\-----------------------------------------------

Ranboo had no time to think as he shielded his face, the first Wither blowing up the beautiful and delicate lanterns made by Ghostbur. He sat up and scrambled behind the wanted poster. The shouts and screams of the L’manbergians jumping into battle filled his ears. 

He watched on as Techno summoned countless Withers, Phil laughing in the background. He watched as all of his friends fought each other mercilessly. Ranboo was equally worried about all of them, not wanting to betray anyone. He was stuck in a ruthless moral dilemma. TNT rained from the sky, forcing Ranboo further and further into the outskirts of L’manberg. 

Ranboo stood a good distance away from the explosion, wearing armour to protect himself from the extra blasts. He couldn’t see much from his spot on the prime path, but what he could see was absolutely brutal. Piercing cries and shouts exploded in the air, nearly as pervasive as the TNT itself

Dream walked up behind the teen placing a hand on his shoulder, making the boy flinch slightly. Ranboo hadn’t seen Dream since yesterday in the panic room, the guilt at breaking down in front of Dream still heavily weighing on his mind. Dream watches Techno and Phil spawn withers left and right, a blank porcelain mask covering the man's face showed no emotion as he tilted his head.

“Was it worth it, Ranboo?” Dream asked simply. Ranboo’s stomach turned at the question, wanting nothing more than to pull away from the man. The hybrid was too scared that Dream would take offense to that though, so he stood still and rigid next to the older man as explosions rang in the air, Lmanbergian screams like music to Dream’s ears. 

The tall man turned his head towards Ranboo, the hybrid’s eyes going impossibly wide at the destruction and bloodshed happening before him, powerless to stop a thing. 

“You should come with me” Dream’s grip tightened slightly, firm but not so much that it was painful. The teen snapped his head around to look at the man, spikes of fear and adrenaline going through him. 

“What? Why!?” he asked, voice slightly giving out to the panic and bad feeling he had about this. Dream tilted his head again at Ranboo, as if he were a particularly difficult child who didn’t understand. 

“They won’t want you here. Why would they? You betrayed them, they honestly probably hate you..” he said, as if gently explaining something that should be obvious. Ranboo looked down at the ground. He was right wasn’t he? He had betrayed them all..”B-but Techno and Phil..” he protested weakly. 

Dream chuckled at that. “I mean, do you really think that they want anything to do with you? Techno clearly doesn’t like traitors..” the boy looked back down at the soft colored wooden planks. Dream was definitely right. No one wanted him around for the time being, they would most definitely be mad at him. 

He had to stay somewhere while they all had a chance to cool down, right? Maybe Dream’s place wouldn’t be so bad… Ranboo cleared his throat. awkwardly, aware that he had zoned out for a little too long. “I-i’ll come with you, Dream, but only until my friends cool down. They won’t be mad at me forever” he finished off confidently. 

Dream’s stance and tone oozed amusement and condescension, but the enderman hybrid determinedly ignored it. “Right this way then” the man said, letting go of Ranboo’s shoulder and leading him to a nether portal hidden in the trees. It was a wonder no one had found it before, unless it was just recently built while everyone wasn’t paying attention. They both wordlessly entered the portal, both equally invested into their own thoughts.

The trip through the nether was quiet, neither of them attempting to make conversation due to the awkwardness and oppressive heat. Eventually, they came to a portal that led to a Taiga biome that Ranboo didn’t recognize. 

It suddenly occurred to him that he was thousands of blocks away from his friends, and he had no idea how to get back. The tall boy gulped, regretting following Dream all the way out here alone. He debated telling his friends he was here through his communicator, but he didn’t want Dream to see. (why? He should be able to trust the man. He just had a bad feeling) and..if he’s honest he’s not sure if any of his friends would pay attention or respond if he tried to reach out now.

They walked through the trees, sunlight filtering through the leaves as the sun sank lower in the sky. A small family of foxes ran past their legs to get to a bright berry bush. Twigs and leaves crunched beneath their feet as they walked, and Ranboo grumbled as branches kept hitting him in his face. The curse of being so tall unfortunately. 

The terrain underneath Ranboo’s feet started getting more rough and rocky and his breathing started getting more labored. Dream lead him into a clearing at the base of a tall, looming mountain. A square home was carved into the side of it, windows on the other side of the mountain indicating that it stretched further within. 

Ranboo looked up in awe as Dream chuckled and waved for him to follow up the winding cobblestone stairs. “This is a nice place you got here” Ranboo remarked, attempting to make small talk. The man nodded, seeming to smile underneath the mask. Ranboo didn’t know how he knew, he just did. One of Dream’s many mysteries it seems. 

“Yeah, I told you all I wasn't homeless,” the blonde said a little indignantly. That made Ranboo chuckle a little, remembering when he heard Techno teasing Dream over not having a house. They walked inside the house and Dream showed him around the relatively small base. 

He’ll tell….well, he’d wait a little later to let Tubbo, and maybe Phil know where he was. They might be mad at him, but they didn’t want him dead. He hoped

“Would you like some food? I have some chicken in the furnace” the older man cleared his throat awkwardly. “Uh- yeah yeah i'm pretty hungry” he replied, sitting down at the table as Dream brought out two plates. 

Even though it was awkward, Ranboo felt himself relaxing a little bit. Once they we’re done, Dream beckoned him and led him down a set of spiral stairs and into his own room. 

While he was grateful, surely, it was a little odd that Dream had a room already prepared for a teenager to be living in but he brushed it off. The enderman hybrid was just grateful that he had a place to stay while everyone hated him.

“Here we are” Dream gestured proudly into the room. There was a bed in the far right corner, a bookshelf and a bean chair. A brightly colored rug sat in the middle of the floor. All in all, with a bit of touching up and adding his own things the room was not bad at all. 

Ranboo walked in, and sat down on the bed to set his spawn point. He took out his communicator, thinking now was a good time as ever to let people know where he was. As much as he was grateful, he didn’t trust Dream completely quite yet. 

He was so preoccupied with what he was gonna say, the teen didn’t realize Dream was coming up beside him. The man snatched the communicator out of his hand and shoved him to the floor. Ranboo let out a yell of shock, not knowing what Dream was trying to do. The teen got back up and tried to snatch the device out of Dreams hand but he was easily disarmed and thrown back to the floor. Dream loomed over him as Ranboo was stuck on the floor, paralyzed in fear. The hilt of Dreams sword came down and Ranboo felt the slightest hints of betrayal as he blacked out.

\-----------------------  
When Ranboo came to, he sat up in a panic. Where was he..? Ranboo’s blood ran cold as memories of what happened before he blacked out flashed across his memory. The hybrid stood up, realizing everything had been taken off of him. This was not good. Even his communicator had been stripped from him. 

No no no this couldn’t be happening this couldn’t- The walls seemed like they were closing in on him. Ranboo ran to one of the walls, clawing at the stone until his hands were bloody only to find a thick layer of obsidian. 

Of course. He stumbled back, falling to the ground in partial shock. What was he going to do? How long was Dream gonna keep him here? The hybrid clawed at his hair, his breathing starting to pick up. The walls felt like they were closing in on him even more. He was so, so fucked. No one knew where he was, and no one would come looking for him without prompting either he was sure of it. 

They might all just think he ran away out of guilt or something. All of a sudden, a knock sounded at the door and Ranboo jumped before going pale. It had to be Dream. “W-what are you doing!? Let me out!” He called, with false confidence. 

The door swung open, but not to let Ranboo out. Dream slapped Ranboo across the face, stinging him but not hurting as much as he knew it could coming from Dream of all people. The hit mostly left him falling to the floor in shock. Dream crouched down and reached a hand out to the teen. 

Ranboo flinched, expecting another hit but instead Dream whispers soothing and reassuring words into his ear. “Hey, hey, i'm not gonna hit you again alright?” the man said, his voice full of sickly sweet venom “You just can’t yell at me like that again though. It’s a rude way to treat your friend, especially one who took you in” Fear clawed its way up Ranboos throat, making him nauseous. He wanted to tell Dream that this was far from a friendly visit and he was far from a friend, but he didn’t know what else the man would do to him if he did so he stayed quiet. Dream got up, leaving the room and promising to bring more food and “rewards” if he behaved.

Ranboo remembered eating before he got knocked out, and his stomach was growling now so he must have been out for quite a while. How he ended up in Dreams house anyways was a mystery to him. His memory book got swiped off of him it seemed, so this was gonna be a problem. The enderman curled up in the corner of the dimly lit room, hopelessness and exhaustion crashing back over him in waves. He was so, so screwed and worst of all, he was alone. No one was gonna come get him, no one probably noticed he was missing, hell no one probably cared- he was gonna be stuck in here forever, or at least a long time wasn’t he? Unless he could find a way to overpower Dream without, you know, dying to death. That would be an unpleasant way to go if he was honest 

\--------------------

Ranboo had eaten all of the food Dream gave him, and boredom inevitably gripped at him. He wandered over to the bookshelf Dream had supplied to distract him from his thoughts. He skimmed through the titles, a lot of them being cookbooks or manuals before stopping on a weird title. 

“Percy Jackson..?” he muttered to himself, before settling down in the corner to try and start reading. He noticed that he had been reading the same page over and over again, and closed the book with a sigh. The teen got up and started pacing the room with a renewed vigor, his black and white tail flicking back and forth in agitation as he paced. What did Dream want with him? How was he going to try and escape? Who would take him in if he even did get out, no way he was going to survive on his own with Dream after him. Ranboo sighed again (he seemed to be doing that a lot recently) and sat back down with his book. There really wasn’t much else to do..

A couple hours later, Ranboo jumped (again) at the sound of a knock at the door. His heart raced, wondering what Dream wanted with him this time. Before he could call out, a flap opened and a plate of hot food was pushed through. He honestly wanted to refuse, but he was way too hungry to even consider it. It felt like it had been a day since he last ate, and the boredom really wasn't helping. He ate, and then went back to trying to read the limited selection of books. At least he could finally relax..

A week went by, and Ranboo could officially say that he had more time to relax then he ever needed. Ever. Dream came by at the same time everyday to slip him meals past the flap, and then left Ranboo to pace around the room and try to read. He was so incredibly bored.

All of a sudden, a knock sounded at the door. That was weird, Dream had already brought food today, so..? The door creaked open and Ranboo’s eyes blew wide. He sat frozen as Dream walked into the room, porcelain mask gleaming in the light and a friendly smile set on his lips.

"Hello, Ranboo"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello I am back everyone! Sorry for not posting for a couple months, i kinda lost motivation for a while lmao. This probably isn't gonna be a consistently updated fic since im very new to this whole thing, which is also why there's a short chapter. I might do more oneshots, way easier and less commitment whew. Enjoy the Ranboo angst!

**Author's Note:**

> HAHAHA FUCK I HATE ITALICS SM, YALL ARE GONNA HAVE TO DEAL W IT 😭
> 
> ANYWAYS, I APPRECIATE ANY COMMENTS AND/OR KUDOS, CAN WE GET AN F IN THE CHAT FOR MY BOY RANBOO MANS HAS IT ROUGH RN
> 
> SO I DECIDED TO CONTINUE W THIS AU AS INSPIRATION STRUCK ME AT 5AM, LET ME TELL YOU GUYS WHAT I HAVE PLANNED IS R O U G H ON OUR LOCAL MEMORY BOY


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